It could be time for Israel to lift its blockade on Gaza, Haaretz’s editorial board suggests. If the Egypt-brokered agreement between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority attests to the seriousness of the parties’ intentions about reconciliation, it obliges Israel to revisit its policy in the territories – and especially to recognize that the relevance of its blockade of Gaza is diminishing, they write.

On a related note, Hamas has rejected a 2005 agreement that mandates European presence and a measure of Israeli control over the PA-administered Gaza-Egypt border, according to Asharq Al-Awsat. Hamas political bureau member Moussa Abou Marzouq said the agreement has expired and was not a point of negotiation during Egypt-sponsored reconciliation talks.

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